50 Greatest Soap Couples: #49 Luke & Noah From AS THE WORLD TURNS

STORY:
Luke had just graduated from high school when he took a job as an intern at Oakdale television station WOAK. He instantly clashed with fellow intern Noah. Noah began dating the third intern, Maddie, but after a few months Luke and Noah had to admit they had feelings for each other. When they finally kissed on Friday, August 17, 2007, a YouTube clip garned a million hits in a weekend, the likes of which had never been seen before or since with a daytime soap opera clip.

IMPACT:
Of all the Top 50 couples, the story of Luke and Noah (dubbed "Nuke" by many fans) felt the most incomplete, with Noah disappearing at times leaving fans to fill in the blanks of their lives on their own. But there was no denying the historical significance of the longest running gay couple in daytime soap opera history. They shared that historic first kiss, were the first gay male couple to have sex in a daytime serial (CBS.com advertised this as ""Luke & Noah Do It"), and developed an international fanbase that celebrated the duo with events around the United States and the world.

When fans suspected there was some type of "kissing ban" in place for the couple, they took to the press and Luke and Noah were covered in TIME magazine, hundreds of newspapers around the country (and the world), CNN, NPR, and many other TV, radio and print outlets.

20 comments:

By the end I was a Luke and Reid fan but I understand the placement of Luke and Noah in this countdown. I wish ATWT had lasted another year. I bet Luke and Reid would have made some history of their own.

We don't actually see the sex act for any couples in daytime so it's all implied, just some a lot more than others. LOL I loved that Kyle and Fish sex day and it was done purposely equal to the hetero couple (was it Gigi and Rex?). But two months later the actors were fired and they were no more. There have been so many missed opportunities with gay storylines in daytime and the new fans they brought to AMC, OLTL, ATWT, DAYS, etc.

You bet, Roger! So much so that I posted twice (honestly....I did not mean to do that...sorry!). Anyway, I obviously feel they should have been a bit higher in the ranking - but am thrilled they are here. For Luke and Noah to have made such an impact and still have a huge following of worldwide fans is nothing short of incredible considering how the show treated them - and it's all because of the magic Jake and Van created!

Cheryl, imagine what might have been if they actually were featured and had a story consistently versus in spurts. I'm sure there were many factors in play we weren't aware of behind the scenes but the couple obviously brought new viewers and international attention to the show (although if you're not in the Nielsen sample, it probably doesn't matter).

I see a lot of the same roadblocks happening now with Will and Sonny on DAYS.

They were my fav all time gay couple on any soap. I liked them more then Oliver & Luke. I thought Jake is so damn good looking. My second was Olivia & Natalia. I enjoyed Kish but it lacked something and after they had sex they were gone. Disappointment. At least ATWT did give Noah & Luke stories even after coming out.

Disappointed that Luke and Noah didn't place higher on the list, but with all the zillions of couples in the history of daytime, I'm glad they made it. They always had horrible airtime and no real good storylines, and Noah(Jake) was treated so horribly the last year of the show. Imagine how much more this GROUNDBREAKING couple could've accomplished if TPTB had truly cared about them and their legacy.

First, dare I say the name, Brian Frons. He saw KISH was popular and needed to hurt OLTL (to fit into his ultimate plan for ABC Daytime). So, he demanded the story being terminated, immediately. Thank you so much, you rotten %&#@!

Also, Scott Evans (Oliver) wasn't on contract and was reluctant to sign one. THAT didn't help the situation. Which is why Evans didn't make any 'final' appearance on the show, unlikeBrett Claywell (Kyle) because he was under contract.

I know some fans blame Ron Carlivati and Frank Valentini for this, but really they need to get a grip, Frons held their jobs in his hands. They had no choice. Sad, but true.

Although I understand the significance of the Luke and Noah relatioship in daytime history, I think at the end, Luke and Reid were a much better match. Reid and Luke complemented each other personality wise. Luke softened Reid (who was unnecessarily killed at the end of the show for a Katie/Chris propping), and Reid helped Luke to be stronger. Toward the end of the Luke/Noah relationship, I saw Noah constantly berating Luke, and Luke begging for Noah's love. Watching them was excruciating until Reid showed up. Besides that, Van Hansis and Eric Sheffer Stevens had amazing chemistry, and I saw what seemed to be a very enthused Van Hansis in having a very experienced (stage and screen) acting partner. No disrespect to the importance of Luke and Noah, but it was time for Luke to move on, and ATWT finally got it right with inserting a third party to be a real threat to the relationship. Though Eric was a "newbie," he became wildly popular as Dr. Reid Oliver among many fans. Too bad we didn't get to see the budding relationship of Luke and Reid, but on the other hand, Goutman and JP probably would have ruined it as so much else toward the end.

There's nothing like the magical chemistry between these two, Luke and Noah (Van and Jake)! I've never seen such a beautiful gay love story in the mainstream media, before or after.

Writers and producers, however, destroyed the show over the last one and a half year, including many of its characters. They also did everything to tear Noah and Luke apart and terribly marginalized Noah over the last year.

Just have a look at NUKE videos at YouTube, viewed by millions of fans all over the world, to understand how dumb those writers were and how they disrespected a significant part of the show's fanbase.

There's nothing like the magical chemistry between those two, Luke and Noah / Van and Jake! I've never seen such a beautiful gay love story in the mainstream media, before or after.

Writers and producers, however, destroyed the show over the last one and a half year, including many of its characters. They also did everything to tear Noah and Luke apart and terribly marginalized Noah over the last year.

Just have a look at NUKE videos at YouTube, viewed by millions of fans all over the world, to understand how dumb those writers were and how they disrespected a significant part of the show's fanbase.